


Portals of Discovery

by TheSexyMuggleLibrarian (Lexi_the_dragon_muse)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 17:11:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/813986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexi_the_dragon_muse/pseuds/TheSexyMuggleLibrarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mistakes in the past had forced Percy Weasley and Cho Chang down a lonely path. Could reuniting at the wedding of the century prove to be the right remedy for their loneliness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Portals of Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, locations or prior storylines associated with it. That is all the intellectual property of the wonderful JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, nor am I making any money from this story. I am just playing in her world.
> 
> Challenge: This is for Mujy’s Biggest Challenge Ever challenge. “You get the last letter K from that section: "Knowledge," Percy Weasley/Cho Chang”. I will say that I have never written either of these characters prior to now, so hopefully it comes out all right! Also, I am going with one thing from the movies…In this story, Cho is the one who let the cat out of the bag about the D.A. in fifth year. Please R&R and if anyone wants to make any art for this story (to put in the image section) feel free! Just let me know because I would love to have a picture to go along with this!!

**Portals of Discovery © The Sexy Muggle Librarian**

 

 

It was the wedding of the century; the much heralded nuptials of The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kill-Voldemort to his childhood sweetheart.  The society pages had been following the story of the battlefield proposal and subsequent courtship of Harry Potter to Ginerva Weasley like rabid dogs.  Cho Chang was like any other witch in Britain; caught up in the hype.  Unlike other witches, though, she was shocked to receive an invitation in the owl post that morning.  When she realised what the elegantly written piece of post on cream vellum with gold curvy script was, she had almost dropped it.

 

Instead, she had carefully set it on her small dining room table and looked around the one bedroom flat that she was renting whilst pushing her long dark hair through her fingers.  _Why would they invite me to the wedding,_ she thought cautiously.  She knew that she was not the favourite person of any of the “Golden Trio” and had not been since she had stupidly revealed the hideout of Dumbledore’s Army when she was sixteen.  She had been ostracised during her remaining time at Hogwarts by everyone that had been a part of the D.A.  When she left school after her sixth year, she had no true friends. 

 

Sighing, she left the invitation on the table and started to get ready for her day of work.  After donning the sober robes that signalled her status of an Unspeakable at the Ministry of Magic, she quickly grabbed a handful of Floo powder and exited her flat.  Cho arrived at the Ministry during the morning rush hour, but she didn’t let that bother her.  She no longer minded the press of people around her that paid her no attention.  At first it bothered her, but as she moved beyond the stigma of name calling and finger pointing from her classmates into her new life, she felt at ease with herself.  With those thoughts in her head, she stepped off the lift and into the secret world of the Department of Mysteries.

 

Eight hours later, she was walking slowly out of the Ministry and returned to her flat.  After putting together a simple dinner of salad and soup, she settled back to listen to the Wizarding Wireless as she read a Muggle novel.  She put the thought of the invitation completely out of her mind as she lost herself in the trials and struggle of a Muggle named Van Helsing. 

 

**H~P**

 

When Cho awoke the next morning, she forgot for a moment what day it was.  With a sinking heart, she realised that it was Saturday, which meant no work.  _Bollocks,_ she thought as she rubbed her eyes to rid them of the sleep which had formed overnight.  Groggily, she straggled out of her bed, not bothering to put a robe on over her pyjamas. 

 

After she had put the kettle on for tea, she looked around and found her gaze drawn to the vellum on the table.  Gingerly, she picked up the page again, part of her wondering if it was just a practical joke, she found that the words did not change on the second reading. 

 

_Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Arcturus Weasley_

_request the pleasure of your company_

_at the marriage of their daughter_

_Ginerva Molly_

_and_

_Mr. Harry James Potter_

_on Saturday, the fourth of July_

_nineteen hundred and ninety-eight_

_at_ _six o’clock_

_Hogwarts_ _School_ _of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Scotland_

 

“Why?” she muttered aloud.  “Why am I invited to the wedding?”  She continued to stare at the words, knowing that she alone had caused the rift that had driven her away from her friends.  She had known what she was doing at the time; telling Delores Umbridge where the D.A. met was her last resort at saving her family.

 

And it was all for naught.  Her parents and sister had been killed the following year whilst trying to escape to America; she had only escaped because she had left a book in their former house and had gone back to retrieve it.  Two years had passed since their deaths and the pain had yet to recede.  Two years in which she didn’t go back to Hogwarts for she knew that she would find death there as someone less than a pureblood.  Instead, she had studied on her own to take her N.E.W.T.S. to pass into the adult world.  The night of the final battle had found her studying—of all things—Defence against the Dark Arts when suddenly the charmed galleon that Hermione had given the D.A. had burned.  She had been unable to resist the call, so she had left and joined in the battle.

 

She had fought along side most of them, and most of them had not recognized her.  She had cut her hair short to try to escape detection and it worked in her favour.  After Voldemort had been defeated, she had quietly slipped off, knowing that the last thing any of her former friends would want to see would be a supposed traitor amongst them.

 

She had decided that the pain of losing her family would recede much quicker if she actually had close friends to discuss is with, but with her previous actions, that was not a possibility.  Even the few people that she worked with in the Department of Mysteries were not close to her, but she knew that was her own doing.  Her former gregarious self was gone.

 

Sighing, she turned her attention to her morning tea and muffins before deciding to go out and do her weekly shopping.  With the plan in mind, she quickly waved her wand and cleaned up before heading to the small bathroom to shower and dress.

 

**H~P**

 

Hours passed as Cho made her way around Diagon Alley.  She had spent the morning perusing Flourish and Blotts, managing to drag herself out after purchasing only two books.  She was just leaving the store when she bumped into a woman walking in.  “Excuse me,” she said automatically.

 

The other woman looked up and gasped.  “Cho?  Cho Chang,” she said in surprise.

 

Cho looked up into the brown eyes of the curly headed woman.  “Hermione?” she returned in equal shock.  “I am so sorry.”

 

Hermione just smiled.  “No, it was me.  I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going; I was just studying the rather disgusting display in the window.”

 

Cho turned her head and could not help but wince as she caught sight of the display that had distracted the well-known bookworm.  “Ah, Rita Skeeter’s new book.  _The Second Wizarding War – The Untold Tales,_ ” Cho said with a scathing note to her voice.  “I can not stand that woman.”

 

“Trust me when I say I understand,” Hermione returned with the same note.  “At least she knew better than to hound me for an interview, but others did not fare as well.”

 

“I know.  She badgered me for months to get me to talk about…” Cho trailed off when she realised what she was about to say.

 

Hermione bit her lip in nervousness.  “Fifth year,” she finished softly before looking into Cho’s eyes.  “Look, Cho.  I know that I was horrible to you after _the incident_ , but you have to know that I don’t hold that against you.  I found out later why you acted as you did and my Gryffindor tendencies applaud your bravery.”

 

Cho felt her eyes widen at the unexpected forgiveness and quickly she blinked back tears.  “Thank you,” she managed to return.

 

Hermione nodded as she moved to walk into the store before turning around again.  “Cho?  The invitation was meant with sincerity.  Harry and Ginny would be most pleased if you chose to come to their wedding.”

 

Cho felt a heavy weight lift off of her shoulders as she watched Hermione walk into the store and in that instant, she made her choice to attend the ceremony and hopefully re-establish the ties of friendship that she thought had been broken beyond repair.  With those thoughts, her feet turned to Madam Malkin’s to purchase new dress robes for the occasion.

 

**H~P**

 

Percy Weasley felt like a crow among songbirds and wondered for the umpteenth time if his birth had been an anomaly.  He was surrounded by his entire family, who were chattering back and fourth about the wedding plans, but he had nothing to say. 

 

At his mother’s strongly worded request, he had taken off the entire week of Ginny’s wedding and was set to task after task to do her bidding.  He suffered silently as they went over the wedding menu and flower arrangements for the third time, whilst listening to the rest of the family joke around.  It seemed wrong to him and even though he had been welcomed back into the proverbial fold, it was not with open arms.

 

Every once and a while, he caught a glimpse of what seemed like anger in George’s eyes.  He knew his brother blamed him for Fred’s death and he understood.  He blamed himself.  If it had not been for him making that _stupid_ joke about his resignation Fred would still be alive.  He lived with the guilt every day and every day he renewed his promise that he would never let anything break him away from his family again.

 

The only thing he didn’t figure in to his calculations was the reaction of his family.  In the weeks following the Final Battle, he had felt welcomed back; he had thought he had been absolved of his guilt of acting like a complete and utter prat, but after Fred’s funeral, he found the rest of the family pulling away from him.  After only a month, he could no longer stand to be in the Burrow.  The way that conversations would stop when he walked into the room and the glances in his direction that he was supposed to see finally took its toll. 

 

Thankfully, relief had come from an unexpected place.  Gringotts.  He had chanced across an advert for an apprenticeship with the bank as a liaison with the Muggle financial world.  It seemed that after the War, more people had sought to diversify their investments and many Pureblood families were getting into the Muggle stock market.  Since they were now dealing with Muggles, who of course had no idea of the magical world, they needed to train Wizards to act as their liaisons. 

 

The apprenticeship had come with lodgings at a boarding house in Diagon Alley and whilst it had lacked the charm of home, it was what he needed to move on.  He was beginning the second year of the apprenticeship and was thankful that the Goblins had granted him the time off to be with his family; they were stern taskmasters at the best of times and he had not even hoped to get the day off of the wedding.  The unexpected gift of a week off had floored him.  In turn, he had promised them to work extra hard and try to complete the apprenticeship as soon as possible. 

 

Percy shook his head out of his wool-gathering as the sounds of laughter faded.  He glanced up and noticed that the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and he glanced at the arrangements he had been working on.  There where two separate arrangements as his mother had requested.  She had given him six different flowers to work with and told him to arrange them in the best possible manner and he had looked at her in confusion.

 

_“Really, Percy.  Just make them took good together in two different arrangements,”_ she had told him with an exasperated tone.

 

As he studied what he had done, he spared himself a small smile.  Not even thinking, he had grouped them together based on the long ago lessons of this mother.  The first arrangement consisted of: Bells of Ireland, Forget-me-not and Heliotrope; they represented luck, true love and devotion.  The second arrangement consisted of: Moonflowers (enchanted to bloom during the day), Blue Violets, and Peach Blossoms; they represented dreaming of love, faithfulness and bridal hope.  _So, I guess all that prattling on that Mum did about flowers when I was growing up stuck,_ he mused.  As the athletically disinclined child of an active family, he had memories of long summer days in the garden, helping his mother tend to the flowers while she told him about the language of flowers.  He was surprised he had remembered what she had told him.

 

Nodding to himself, he quickly swished his wand and had the rest of the flowers arrange themselves, in preparation of the wedding the following day.  His job for the day done, he retreated to the boisterous interior of the Burrow, only to escape to the solitude of his room intent on studying some more of the texts that the goblins had given him about the Muggle stock market.

 

**H~P**

 

Percy studied late into the night and had just settled into the bed, when the loud pounding of feet on the stairs startled him.  He heard Ron and George singing loudly, their words slurred in drunkenness and fought back a wave of resentfulness.  _Of course, Harry’s stag party was tonight.  Did they even think to invite me?_   The pang of hurt welled up inside of him and he wondered he if was just a visitor in this home.  His brothers were certainly not making it easy to return to the family.  He had forgotten that Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, Angelina and his mum were staying the night at Grimmauld Place.  Their reasoning being that since there was a stag party, then all the men would return to the Burrow and they would be able to be as loud as they wanted.  He had an idea it was so Kreacher could help them get ready the following day.

 

Sighing and forcing the hurt back down, he quickly extinguished the candles and rolled onto his side.  After fifteen minutes, when the volume of singing increased, he picked his wand back up and cast a couple of silencing charms around the room to ensure silence.  He finally fell into an uneasy sleep an hour later.

 

When he finally awoke in the morning, he slipped downstairs and began to prepare breakfast for himself.  He found his father in the kitchen already, preparing a pot of tea to go along with the hangover potion.  “Morning,” he said quietly.

 

Arthur looked up at his third born son.  “Good morning,” he said pleasantly.  “Do you need a hangover potion?”

 

Percy looked at him.  “Whatever for?”

 

Arthur cocked his head.  “Didn’t you go to Harry’s stag party last night?  I heard the boys get home in the early hours of the morning.”

 

Percy decided to retreat behind his pompous façade.  “Why would I want to go out for a night of debauchery?” he said, trying to be imperious about it.

 

Arthur’s eyebrows rose, but he seemed to drop the subject.  “No matter then, I know that your mother will be grateful that one of her sons has a good head on his shoulders.  How are you liking your apprenticeship?”

 

Percy smiled, grateful for the respite.  “The goblins are harsh teachers, but the work is interesting.  I am learning to use all types of Muggle electronics and soon they want me to take a course that they put together to truly become comfortable in the Muggle world.”

 

Arthur’s eyes lit up as the prospect of discovering how the Muggle electronics worked.  “Really?  Will you tell me what the enterfet thing is like?”

 

Percy chuckled.  Really, some things never changed and with renewed energy he began to talk about what he had learned so far.  They talked well into the afternoon before the rest of the house stirred and once the others were up, Percy retreated again, this time to slip into his formal robes for the ceremony.  As he slid the soft black fabric on, he mused about the next step in his apprenticeship.  The goblins had said something about him learning to be comfortable in the Muggle world and he had an idea that it meant he would actually be living in that world.   If so, he more than ready for the change in pace and maybe, just maybe he could leave the cloud of doubt behind him.  After a last glance in the mirror, he strode out of his room and downstairs to begin the arduous process of Apparating all of the flower arrangements to Hogwarts.

 

**H~P**

 

Cho looked at herself in the mirror as she turned back and forth in her small bathroom.  Unfortunately, the mirror only allowed her to see to the tops of her thighs.  The robes she had chosen at Madam Malkins were deep water blue with a Xiangyun pattern brocaded on the waist and cuffs.  They were made of French silk and featured long sleeves and a floor length skirt which was enchanted to adjust to the height of her heel.  For the wedding, she decided to wear a pair of matching blue satin stilettos.

 

She had secured her dark hair back into a simple French twist and had not applied a lot of make-up.  Finally, she clasped her mother’s sapphire and diamond necklace around her neck.  She watched as the sapphire, which was surrounded by a starburst of diamonds, sparkled in the light.  She felt a connection with her mother and was glad that they had taken precautions to ensure that the family jewels would stay safe no matter what.  After one final glance in the mirror, she grabbed her travelling cloak in preparation for the Apparation to Hogwarts.

 

At half past five, Cho was walking through Hogsmeade and towards the gates of the school she had tried to put behind her.  Even though she knew that she had been forgiven, she could not stop the butterflies from taking flight in her stomach at the sight of the wrought-iron gates.  She had many memories, both good and bad, of those gates.  She remembered riding through them on the carriages her second year filled with wonder at the carriages that drove themselves. 

 

She paused at the gate as she was greeted by an elegantly clad stocky red-haired man.  “Invitation please,” he greeted her cordially as he turned in her direction.

 

Cho held back a gasp as the sight of Bill Weasley’s scarred face greeted her.  She quickly handed over her invitation and watched as the curse-breaker ran his wand over the vellum in several different patterns.  After he was satisfied, he smiled as a carriage drove up, pulled by Thestrals.  “Miss Chang, your carriage awaits,” he said as he help her into the golden carriage.

 

Cho couldn’t suppress her flush at his formal manners, but managed to say in return, “Thank you, Mr. Weasley,” without stuttering as she settled onto the bench seat.  She studied the landscape as the carriage moved forward and noticed how much the destruction had eroded by time.  There were no longer black scorch marks and holes that marked where curses had been deflected, no pools of blood signalling the loss of a life.  Once in view of the castle, she realised how thorough the reconstruction had been.  It looked as if nothing had ever happened there.  Only Dumbledore’s tomb and what looked like a marble obelisk were out of place.  Each monument shone in the setting sun.

 

Her breath caught in her throat as she choked back the emotions.  _I will not cry.  I will not cry._   She didn’t notice that the carriage had stopped until a voice interrupted her thoughts.

 

“Miss Chang?”

 

Cho shook her head and turned to look into the most startling blue eyes that she had seen.  It took her a moment to recognize the clean cut face of Percy Weasley, but she managed a watery smile.  “Percy Weasley, um, hi.”

 

Percy smiled at the beautiful woman before him.  The royal blue of her dress gave her skin lustre and he found himself without words.  Finally, he realised that he was staring at her and cleared his throat.  “Hello,” he said as he extended his hand to assist her from the carriage.  “Bride or groom side?”

 

Cho bit her lip.  “I have no idea,” she admitted as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and began to lead her into the Great Hall.  “I was just surprised to get invited.”

 

“Really,” Percy mused.  “Then I do believe you shall be on the groom’s side.  If you hadn’t noticed, the Weasley family is rather large, so I’m trying to keep both sides balanced.”

 

Cho chuckled at his attempt at humour as she walked through the hall with him, the sound of her heels clicking loudly.  “The castle has been restored beautifully,” she said softly as she looked at the suits of amour that lined the halls as normal.  The last time she had walked down them, most had been lying in ruin on the floor.

 

“It was hard work, but yes Hogwarts has been restored to its grandeur.  Is this the first time you’ve seen the restoration?” Percy asked, puzzled as he knew that she had belonged to the class in between the twins and Ron.  He was surprised that she had not returned to help with the restoration as most former students had.

 

Cho swallowed hard and shook her head.  “No,” she said in a small voice as they reached the doors to the Hall.

 

Percy heard the pain in her voice and briefly covered her hand in his other before leading her to her seat.  He cleared his throat softly.  “Here is your seat.  If you will excuse me, I must lead other guests in.”

 

Cho nodded and managed a small smile.  “Thank you, Percy,” she said as she sat amongst the few guests already seated.

 

“It was my pleasure, Cho,” he retuned before quickly walking back out of the hall.

 

Cho settled back into her chair, wondering where the pompous boy that she remembered had gone.  _Well, I guess all of us changed,_ she mused.

 

**H~P**

 

Percy kept himself busy with George, seating all of the guests for the wedding, but every time he walked up the aisle, he found his gaze drawn to the black-haired woman in blue and bronze.  He had few recollections of her from school, mostly from the letters Ron and him had exchanged during his fifth year.  He remembered at one point Ron stating that she had dated Harry, but beyond that he didn’t recall much.  He was grateful when all of the guests were seated and he was able to take his own seat.  Unfortunately, he was sitting in front of Cho, so he was not able to see her during the ceremony.

 

Cho found her gaze being drawn to the back of Percy’s head during ceremony.  She didn’t know why, but she felt as if she wanted to know more.  He was so different from Fred, George and Ron.  They always seemed so carefree and fun, but Percy didn’t.  He seemed more serious, more grown up.  Somehow, without her knowledge, the ceremony was over and she was startled to her feet by the rising guests.

 

Cho clapped with the others and found her gaze once again drawn to the one Weasley son with short hair.  His serious eyes held a light in them as he returned her gaze as he followed the now wed couple down the aisle.  She smiled softly as he passed her and suddenly could not wait to arrive at the reception, being held by Black Lake. 

 

As she walked carefully through the manicured lawn, she drifted to the edge of the crowd, wandering but not partaking in any conversations.  Cho recognised several of her classmates, Neville Longbottom, Hannah About, Luna Lovegood, but it seemed as if their gaze just drifted over her and she felt as snubbed as she had in school.  Thankfully, the punch was good—and amazingly enough not spiked—so she settled at the edge of the reception with glass in hand, her eyes searching for the one red-head that she wanted to see.

 

Percy cursed under his breath about the utter uselessness of a wedding.  Why spend so much money on one day when you were going to live the rest of your lives together?  Yet, even his curses were half-hearted at best.  He arrived at the reception a little late, Molly have detained him for some last minute help in the kitchens.  _As if the elves_ need _help!_   Still, he knew that the reason he was perturbed.  He was hoping to see Cho before her friends overwhelmed her.

 

To his surprise, he saw her standing on the edge of the crowd.  He could see the longing in her eyes as she gazed at the people he had assumed were her friends, but couldn’t understand why they turned their gaze away when they met her eyes.   Seeing that her drink was almost empty, he made a quick stop by the punch bowl and after making sure that George or Ron had not spiked it with some unknown joke from the shop, he poured two glasses.  With drinks in hand, he cautiously made his way towards her, hoping that his attention would be welcome. 

 

Cho watched with hooded eyes as Percy made his way towards her with two glasses of punch and fought down the mass of butterflies that had taken over her stomach.  She tried to calm herself with some deep breathes, but found her breath leaving her as he deep voice greeted her.

 

“May I join you?” he asked.

 

Cho inclined her head and looked into his eyes, searching for any signs that he was less than sincere.  When she found none, she gratefully accepted the glass.  “Thank you.”

 

Percy watched as she assessed him and wondered what had put that questioning look in her eyes.  “Did you come back for your seventh year?” he asked as he decided to initiate the conversation.

 

Cho shook her head.  “No.  I studied during what would have been my seventh year on my own and took my N.E.W.T.S. at the scheduled time.”

 

Percy raised an eyebrow.  “Very impressive,” he murmured, not knowing how to continue.

 

Cho saw his hesitation and instinctively knew that he was nervous.  “What about you?  What have you done since the war?”

 

Percy sighed and found that he wanted to discuss his life with her.  “I took a position at Gringotts.  Once my apprenticeship is over, I shall be a liaison between the goblins and the Muggle world.”  He glanced around and pointed towards a small table and chairs.  “Care to sit?”

 

“That’s fascinating,” Cho murmured as she followed him to the table and settled in the delicate looking chair.  “What will be your responsibilities?”

 

“I’m not sure as of yet, but soon I will be learning to live in the Muggle world.  I find myself looking forward to the isolation from the Wizarding world.  It’s been a trying few years.”

 

“It’s hard to lose family,” Cho murmured in return.  “It’s harder yet to try to make your way in a world that has changed so dramatically from the one you knew.”

 

Percy nodded, knowing that she understood and as his began to respond, he was interrupted.

 

“Cho, I am so glad that you were able to make it!” gushed the blushing bride. 

 

Cho looked up into the smiling face of Ginny Potter and found no trace of the hostility she had seen in others.  Feeling a true smile come to her face, she stood to embrace the woman.  “Thank you for the invitation.  It was…unexpected,” she finally responded.

 

“I know and both Harry and I want to apologise for what happened.  If we had only known what was happening…” Ginny trailed off, unsure of how much Percy was aware of.

 

Cho blinked back tears.  “I was young and thought I had no one to turn to,” she stated simply.

 

Ginny nodded as she glanced back at the remaining crowd, with a familiar twinkle in her eye.  “I have to get back to the rest of the party.  Merlin, I can’t wait until we can leave for the honeymoon.  I’m tired of the crowds around me.”  She glanced at Percy.  “Perce?  Can you make sure that she gets home alright?”

 

Percy nodded in startlement.  He hadn’t talked to Ginny much since he had left the Burrow for his apprenticeship, but he knew that twinkle in her eyes and thankfully knew that she meant no harm.  “Of course, Ginny.”

 

As Ginny walked away, Cho looked at Percy.  “What was that about?” she asked cautiously.

 

Percy grinned.  “I think that was Ginny trying to play matchmaker,” he admitted.  “I think that she has an idea that we will suit each other as we both made bad decisions during the war.”

 

“What?”

 

Percy sighed.  “I chose the Ministry over my family,” he admitted quietly.

 

“Oh,” Cho uttered.  “And I turned on my friends.  How did you know?”

 

“Ron wrote to me, but I don’t hold it against you,” he was quick to respond. 

 

“Nor do I,” Cho said with a guarded smile as insecurity rose in her chest.  “My life has been so…”

 

“Miserable?  You feel like you are living in a shadow because you didn’t make the perfect choices?” Percy finished.

 

She nodded, seeing understanding in his eyes.  “You feel it, too.”

 

“Every day.  For weeks after Fred’s death, I went back over everything that had happened.  I kept wondering what would have happened if I hadn’t made the choices that I had.  Would Fred still be alive?  It ate me alive.”

 

Cho swallowed hard, she knew the same feeling.  “How did you stop?”

 

Percy looked into her eyes, seeing the same guilt and torture that he had once felt.  “I wish I could say that it was easy or that I did it all on my own, but it’s not.  It all started with Ginny and Hermione, actually.”

 

“Really?”

 

Percy nodded.  “They told me that I would be eaten alive if I kept asking ‘what if.’  Instead I should work on honouring Fred’s memory.  You can’t change the past.”

 

Cho smiled.  “Unless you have a time-turner,” she quipped.

 

Percy raised an eyebrow as he settled back into the chair.  “But who is to say that if you changed something in the past, that you wouldn’t do more harm than good.”

 

“Oh, you probably would, but still it is possible to change the past.  I’m just not sure that I would be willing to do it.”  She looked at him quizzically.  “Would you?”

 

Percy thought about the question, only to be interrupted by a loud clanging.  Both of them looked up to see Ron banging on a large bell.

 

“As both best friend of the groom and brother of bride, I have the privilege of the first speech,” he began with a grin.  “First and foremost, Harry, mate.  For all of Ginny’s brothers, if you ever hurt her, you’ll have to deal with us after she gets done hexing your bollocks off.  Don’t mess with her.”

 

Percy and Cho laughed along with the crowd as Harry nodded emphatically, knowing full well that his ability to dodge was considerably less than his new wife’s ability to hex.

 

“Anyway, I know that Ginny has loved you since she was ten, mate.  And Ginny,” Ron continued as he turned to his sister.  “I am so happy for you.  You deserve the best and Harry is it.”

 

Percy and Cho just rolled their eyes as they let the words of the speeches flow over them, each lost in their own thoughts.  Cho thought back to what Percy had told her about letting go of the past and she knew that he was right.  She had known that she needed to do that for months, but she had no idea of how to start.  _Maybe he can show me how,_ she mused as she studied him from under her lashes.  He had changed from the pompous prat she had known during school, but she still found his intelligence intriguing.  There was just something about a man who could debate with her that inflamed her senses.

 

Percy was doing is own perusal as he only paid scant attention to the speeches.  He had clearly seen that Cho had grown into a beautiful woman, but he found that he liked speaking to her.  Although he loved Ginny dearly and he admired Hermione, they were just different from Cho.  She reminded him a bit of his girlfriend at Hogwarts, Penelope Clearwater.  She had also liked to talk about the hard topics.  Neither woman was boring.

 

Much to their relief, the speeches didn’t last long and as soon as the dancing began, Cho stood from her chair.  “I should be getting home.  I have an early day tomorrow,” she said with a smile.

 

Percy stood as well and graciously offered his arm.  “I shall escort you home, then,” he returned.  “I did promise Ginny that I would make sure that you arrived home safely.”

 

Cho raised an eyebrow.  “You don’t have to,” she interjected. 

 

“I know,” Percy said quietly.  “I want to.  It’s not often that I find an interesting woman who is willing to overlook my past mistakes.”

 

_“All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes,”_ Cho quoted as she took his arm.

 

Percy was surprised to hear the quote that he had only just discovered during his studies with the goblins.  “Winston Churchill.”

 

Cho nodded.  “My father’s father was a Muggle and you could often find him quoting him.  That is one of my favourites.”

 

“Mine, too,” Percy said as they arrived at the carriages and he opened the door.  “I have found some wisdom in the sayings of past Muggle leaders.  They seem to have a better grasp of how to deal with the aftermath of war than the Wizarding world does.”

 

Cho nodded as she watched him sit across from her.  “I believe they do.  Since their lives are shorter than wizards, you’ll find that they have a much bloodier past.  There seems to be a war each generation.  I think the point is to not forget the lessons that they learn during those wars.  After all, those who cannot learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.”

 

Percy looked at her with a question in his eyes.  “Is that another Muggle saying?  If so, it is very apt.”

 

Cho smiled as she settled back.  “It is.  It is from a famous author named Thomas Paine.  He was a founding father of the United States.”  She saw the interest in Percy’s eyes and began to tell him all that she knew about the man.

 

They continued to speak as they exited the carriage and instead of Apparating home, Cho and Percy made their way to Hogshead to continue their conversation.  They spoke long into the night and eventually, when yawns punctuated their conversation more than words did, they mutually agreed to call it a night, after exchanging Floo addresses.

 

Percy still insisted on accompanying her to her home, honouring his promise to Ginny.  Cho smiled to herself at the gesture.  She understood that he was a man of honour and he intended to fulfil the promises that he made.  When they reached her door, she turned and gave him a soft smile. 

 

“Thank you for a wonderful day,” she said softly.

 

Percy looked at her, seeing the shyness and hope that shone in her eyes.  “It is I that should be thanking you,” he said softly.  “You made what I had feared would be a barely tolerable day into something that I will never forget.”  He bent his head softly and gave her a chaste kiss.

 

Cho sighed at the rightness that seemed to belong to the kiss.  It wasn’t passionate, but then she probably would have hexed him if he had tried anything like that.  It was simple, a promise of more to come.  “Good night,” she said softly as she unlocked her wards.

 

“Good night,” the red head returned quietly as she made sure she was in her flat safely.  Once the door closed behind her, he turned to make his way to the Apparation point, knowing that his life had changed forever.

 

**H~P**

 

The following year since they had met at Ginny and Harry’s wedding had been a great time of change.  Mere weeks after the ceremony, the Goblins had moved him into the final stage of the apprenticeship.  As he had surmised, he was integrated into the Muggle world, with the help of Muggleborn witches and wizards along with Squibs.  He had learned how to live without magic for the most part and had discovered that he really enjoyed it.  He found himself gaining confidence in living without using his wand for everyday occurrences, but that just made him appreciate his innate abilities even more.

 

It also made him appreciate being allowed to have a Floo connection.  After their impromptu first date the day of Harry and Ginny’s wedding, they had talked to each other constantly, both through the Floo and in person.  Once he had been moved to the Muggle world to acclimate himself in it, Percy had discovered the joys of mobile phones and had made sure that Cho had one as well.

 

Their relationship had flourished, especially since very few people from the Wizarding world were even aware that they were dating.  Only Ginny, Harry and Hermione knew for the first six months, but after a quiet dinner party at Grimmauld Place, Ron had found out as well.  Surprisingly enough, Percy found his family accepting him even more as the months moved on.  It seemed that it had just taken time to come to terms with the death of Fred and even George had apologised to him at his behaviour after the war.

 

Cho, too, had undergone changes during that year.  As she found herself making friends with Ginny and Hermione, she discovered that her old gregarious self was not gone.  It had just been lost in the horrors of what they all had endured during their childhood.  She discovered that as she let herself live again, she was opening herself back up. 

 

Her formal quiet work atmosphere had changed to one that was full of people who respected each other and valued each other as friends.  Being an Unspeakable was difficult since nothing that they were researching could be discussed outside the walls of their department, but Cho found that it was no longer as lonely as she strove to make friends at work.  It was nice to have people to talk about her frustrations with research about and had actually led to a few collaborations which were going to revolutionise the Wizarding world once they were able to disclose them.  She also discovered that Percy did not pester her for information on what she was working on; he knew that she couldn’t discuss her work and did not want to put her in an awkward situation.

 

When they had their eighth-month anniversary, Percy had surprised her with a understated but elegant diamond ring, and with the help of Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron had planned a very quiet wedding.  Their only hope of keeping that way was to keep Molly in the dark about the engagement, so Cho had charmed the ring to be invisible.

 

Then, a year to the day after the wedding, Harry and Ginny opened Grimmauld Place for an anniversary dinner for the entire Weasley clan and their families.  Kreacher had been beside himself with the plans, joyous at having the ability to serve a family again.

 

Percy waited until everyone had arrived and glanced around the room.  Bill was accompanied by Fleur and their daughter Victoire; Charlie looked as if he had just walked off the reserve.  George had brought Angelina with him and from what Percy could tell, he thought they might be dating and of course Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were there.  It was nice to see if entire family together and hoped that Fred was watching over them.

 

He nervously cleared his throat and then announced, “We have a surprise for you.  Instead of an anniversary party, you are actually attending a wedding.”

 

Neither him nor Cho had ever seen Molly Weasley struck speechless by her son, and he enjoyed being able to surprise to surprise her.

 

“Well, I never,” Molly said breathlessly as Hermione and Ginny waved their wands and transformed the library into a place suitable for a wedding. 

 

Kingsley Shacklebolt entered from the kitchen, where he had been hiding and quickly Percy and Ron stood next to him.  With another wave of her wand, Hermione quickly had some Mozart playing on a charmed stereo and Cho walked into the room.

 

As they said their vows in front of the close knit group, both looked at each other and thought about a quote they both felt a connection to.  _Mistakes are the portals of discovery._   And indeed, their mistakes had been.  If not for their mistakes, they would not have found the love they shared.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from a quote. Mistakes are the portals of discovery – James Joyce.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this! 
> 
> Here is a link to what Cho was wearing.
> 
> http://s1120.photobucket.com/user/TheSexyMuggleLibrarian/library/Portals%20of%20Discovery


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